Introducing the Birdie Carer of the Week: Julie Atkins

May 15, 2020

Ravi Vyas

Each and every day there are an army of dedicated care staff going the extra mile to make someone’s life better. Never before has their hard work, tenacity and positive attitude been more important. We asked our partner agencies to nominate their very own frontline care heroes, those going the extra mile every day to deliver the best care. We’re excited to introduce you to our next Carer of the Week, Julie Atkins from Norvic Healthcare.

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"Julie has always been ready and willing to help out at take shifts whenever. We are very happy with the care she delivers and she is loved by all her clients."‍Elijah Adeyemi, Norvic Healthcare

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“Julie, how are you coping with COVID-19?”

"I am a strong-willed person and I am always thinking about my clients and putting them first. I know we have the equipment to keep both me and the client safe."

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“What's the biggest challenge you've faced?”

"Definitely putting PPE on in the morning! Feels like I'm an astronaut getting ready for lift-off! But also, I don't know how clients are finding it, looking at us with gear on, it must be very surreal and worrying for them to not see our faces, especially the deaf clients who often lip read but also require us to shout, and I already have a quiet voice!"

“How do you keep positive?”

“Nothing really. I try to switch off after work and disengage as there's so much to do. It's really hard to at times, but I need to look after my husband and son.”

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"How do you maintain a work-life balance?"

"I often don't and it can be hard to give attention and time. As a mother, no mother gets it right but it's hard to continue balancing work and keeping fit and happy in care. It can be worrying thinking about bringing it back home. In care it is often hard to put your family first as you have a duty to care for your clients.."

“Do you have a support system?”

"My family is my support system. My husband and son are here. My parents don't live with me but I'm always in touch with them."

“Does Birdie help make it easier?”

"Yes! It is always hard at first, especially for someone like me who isn't tech savvy and I was told to use the app without being on Facebook or Instagram or anything like that. So it took time understanding, but now I can see how it helps looking back at the notes from carers and knowing what was going on. It is especially helpful as we do not talk to carers about clients and I never see other carers, so the notes let me understand what is going on."

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A message to all carers from Julie...

"Keep positive, there is light at the end of tunnel! Keep smiling. The country would be a lot worse off without the NHS and us, the carers!"

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We’d like to say a huge well done to Julie, and thank you for doing the work you do. We’ll be posting a Carer of the Week each and every week so make sure you’re following us on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram to see the winners.